Sound-reproducer.



' D. HIGHAM. SOUND REPRODUGER. I APPLICATION FILED DEO.15, 1909.

. Patented July 30, 1-912.

lllllllllllllllll ll lllllllllllllllllllll IL STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL HIGHAM, OF NEW YOBK, N. Y.

J scour-animations.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented July 30, 1912.

' Application filed December 15, 1909. -Seria1 No. 583,265.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DAumL HIGHAM, a citizenof the United Statesfand a resident of New York, in the county of NewYork and State ofNe'w York, have invented cerance with the sound wa' esas by connection,

with a reproducing stylus tracking a record groove. The objects of minvention-are the construction of a soun reproducer whose tones will becharacterized by more-perfect qualitv than those of reproducers jordinarily used,

-. and which willcause undulations corre- I 'ple by which-the movementimparted to the spending tothe original sound 'waves, but greatlyamplified thereover, to beimpressed upon the current ofair or othermoving fluid passing through the reproducer with the result that tonesof much greater volume may be reproduced than is commonly possibleindevices of this character.

My invention operates upon a new princi-' valve member-by connectionwlth the stylus lever is greatly ampli'fied in the vibration of thevalve member. This is accomplished by, forming a valve of flexiblematerial ,which is seated u on a port connecting two communicating 'cambers, or is otherwise suspended. across the path taken by-the mov-"ing fluidi i i'ts passagethrou'gh the sound box, this valve normallybeing bent in an arc of slight curvature. The-valve member is ,fixedatone end and is connected to the reproducing stylus at its other orfree end in. such a manner that the reciprocating motionderived from themovement of thestylus in-traveling oven the record roove is com 'j'-"municat;ed to the free end oft e valve membergby alternate pushes andPIIHS IGHgihWISG ofthe valve member or substantially paral- I leltotlievalve plate-upon which it seated. The ;longi'tudinalmovements thusimparted the tres end ofth'e valve, member result aficorisponding,"butKgreatly amplified,

ff movement. oij use portion of member .it vibrates at right angles toits length may form of a pipe of smaller diameter than the whichisseated upon the port toward and away from the port asthe curvature ofthe member increases and decreases. The movement of the center of theflexible member as easily amount to seven or ei ht times the movementimparted longitudlnally of the valve member b conne 'tion with thestylus where the arco the flexible member is quite flat. I have alsoconstructed the-sound box in a novel manner, one chamber being withinthe other chamber, somewhat in the first named chambenthis member or pie bein provided with a port upon which tiie flexi le.val.ve is seated.This construction need not;., nec'essarily be used, however, in

formed within a member which extends connection with the valveconnections just described. 1

In view of the foregoing, my invention consists in the featureshereinafter described and claimed;

Reference is hereby made to'the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification and embed ing one form of-myin-x vent-ion, and inWillOll- Figure 1 represents a vertical cross section througha-rep'roducer embodying my inv tion, certain parts being 'shownin side 5e- .vation. Fig. 2 is a view of my improvedvalve and the membercontaining the port u on which it is seated taken on line" 2 2 0 Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectioned taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. v-Fig.*4is a bot-tom plan view, of the deviceshown in I F i 1. I

The'same'reierence numerals, will be used. a a

spending parts. v Referring to the drawings, the'sound box 1 is providedas is commoh with two inte.

in all of theabove figures v to. denote correrior chambers 2 and 3. Iprefnhoweve'r,

to form these chambers in a novel manner, although itis not eses'fitialto my main invention that they be so formed. As shown in the drawings,the chamber 3 isformedlongitudinally .in the elongated member 4-; whichis secured withinsound box L so that it extends. through the wholeinterior of chamber'2 of sound box 1. Member 4 may convenientl be in theform of a cylinder I having a attened portion 5 on joneside thereof toconstitute a valve seat. The lower end of this cylinder 4' mayconveniently be secured to the bottom}; of sound box 1- y a member 4secure 1 of the upper cylindrical portion otmember 4 above top member 8to secure the parts firmly in position.

The chamber or passageway 3 extends downwardly through member 4 aconsiderable distance within the intt'ricr of the sound box, and thischamber3 communicates throu'gh member 9 with any suitable horn. or soundamplifying means. The pipe connection 11 is provided with an openinginto chamber 2 of sound box 1, preferably at right angles to the surface5.0f

member 4 for the introduction of a continuouscurrent ofair or othersuitable fluidinto the sound box. A port 12 preferably in the form of anelongated vertical slit is pro- ,vided in the surface 5 of member 4,this port thus connecting chambers 2 and 3. The valve 13 formed ofanysuitable thin elastic material is seated upon port 12 and is secured tomember 4 by any suitable means as of the port.

plurality of such ports and provided if desired.

screws 14 immediately above the upper end It is, of course, obvious thata By forming chamber 3 ina member asdescribed, a simple and compactdevice is pro- Ivided which also'has the advantage that chamber 2surrounding member 4 in which chamber 3 is situated, constitutes areservoir or-equalizing means for the pressure of the air or othermoving fluid entering through pipe 11.

Valve member 13 is seated upon port 12 and is curved or bent inwardlytherefrom in an 'arc of slight curvature, so that the lower end ofthvalye member below the port 12 -cipro'c'ate"in a vertical planethrough .an'

' juts forwardly a slight distance from surface 5 of member 4. Floatingweight'15 is pivoted at 16 to block 17 which is pivoted within bottommember 6 of sound box 1 in the well known manner, as indicated by screw18. Stylus lever 19 bearing stylus 20 is pivotally connected to floatingweight 15 in any convenient manner as indicated at 21.

Link 22 extends upwardly from the tail of stylus lever 19 through asuitable opening in floating weight 15 and is connected at its upper endto a link or rod 23 vertically in line therewith, which link is adaptedto re- "opening 24" in'bott oinplateti of thefsound box-'1, in" whichopening link 23 is closely fitted to-slide. The upper end of rod 23 jis'provided with a holethrethrough through which is passed a hook 25which is securedto the lower end of valvemember 13 as shown.

' ()0, link 24 may be connected to yalve 13 in any other suitablemanner. Horizontal sprin g valves might be ent is as follows:'

the upper sur' cc of bottom plate 6 of the sound box as this springregulate the amount of curvature of valve 13 and the tension under whichitis held. As stylus 20 rises and falls in following the verticalundulations of the sound groove of the record being reproduced, link 22and rod 23 reciprocate in a plane substantially parallelto the face 5of'the valve seat, or in a plane which may be considered as being 26 ispreferably provided, beinglhounted on tangential to the curvature ofvalve 13 at the port opening. The alternate up and down movement thuscommunicated to the lower end of valve 13 flexes the latter, thedownward movement of rod straightening out valve 13 or decreasing thecurvature thereof, while upward movement of member 23 increases thecurvature of the valve. Thus, the downward movement of rod 23 moves thevalve member from its port, while upward movement of rod 23 causes thevalve to be seated more firmly upon its port, thus reducing the portopening. \Vhere the valve member is curved in avery slight are, as shownin the drawings, the movement lengthwise of the valve membercommunicated from the stylus results in a movement of the center of'theare at right angles to the movement of link 23 much greater than themovement of link 23. In a construction such, as that shown in thedrawings, the movement of the valve toward and away from the portresulting in a decrease and increase of the extent of port opening,easily amounts to seven or eight times the amount of movement parallel.to the valve causing such movement of the valve: The result of thisconstruction is that sound undulations corresponding to the vibrationsof the stylus in reproducing, but very greatly amplified by screws 27,the "free end of being connected to r d 23 to in character are impressedupon the current of air or other fluid passing through the sound boxwith consequent amplification of the sound reproduced.

It is obvious that my invention is not limited to the exact constructionshown, but is as bread as is indicated by the appended claims. Myinvention is based upon a principle of amplification which is apparentlybroadly new in the art.

Having now described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect-byLetters Pat- 1. In a sound rcproducei', the combination with a platehaving a port there- 'through, of a flexible member seated upon saidport and secured at one end to Sll'ltl platendjacent the end of saidport, the end of said member being curved away from the surface of saidplate, and means. for causing said free end to move lengthwiseapproximately parallel to said plate in accordance with sound vibrationsto vary the extent of openingof said port correspondingly, substantiallyas described.

2. In a sound reproducer, the combination with a plate having a porttherethrough,.of a flexible member seated upon said port and secured atone end to said plate adjacent the end of said port, the end of saidmember being curved away from the surface of said plate in an arc, andmeans for communicatmg movement in accordance with sound v1- brations tothe free end of said member lengthwise of the same to vary the extent;of opening of said ort correspondingly, substanti as descri ed. 1

3. In a sound reproducer, the combination with a plate having a porttherethrough, of a flexible member covering said port and secured at oneend to said plate adjacent one end of said port, said member bein bentinto the form of a fiat arc, and means orreciprocating the free end ofsaid member in accordance with sound vibrations in the direction of atangent to said. are touncreaseand decrease the amount of curvature ofthe member to vary the extent of .opening of said port correspondingly,substantially'as described.

4. In a sound reproducer, the combination of a hollow body having twochambers c'ommunicating through a'port, a flexible member seatedupon'said port,- anchored at one end, and slightly curved away from theplane containing the mouth of said port at its other end, a'linksecured'to the free end of said member and extending in a planesubstantially parallel to that containing the mouth of said port, andmeans for reciprocating said link in accordance with' sound vibrationsto vary the extent of openend of said member in. a diregtion toexertalternate pushes and pulls lengthwise of the same to increase anddecrease the amount of curvature of the member correspondingly,substantially as described.

6. In a sound reproducer, .the combination of a hollow body having twochambers communicating through a port, a flexible member seated uponsaid port, anchored at one end, and slightly curved away from the Iplane containing the mouth of'said port at its other end, a floatingweight, a pivoted stylus lever carried thereby and connections betweenthe tail.of said lever and the free end of said member substantiallyparallel tothe latter, substantially as described.

7. In a sound reproducer, the combination of a body containing achamber, a pipe connection thereto, a hollow member secured within saidbody and extending throughsaid chamber'and outside said body at oneside, saidmember ha'vi a port connec'ting the interior thereof wit saldchamber and an ppening from said interior outsidesaid body, a flexiblevalve anchored at one'end and seated upon said port, and means forcommunicating movement in accordance with sound vibrations to the freeend of said valve lengthwise of thesame to vary the extent of opening ofsaid port, substantially as described.

8. In a sound reproducer, the combine tion of a hollow body having twochambers,

- a substantially vertical wall separating said chambers and having aport therein connecting said chambers, a flexible valve -seated uponsaid port and secured at its upper end, a stylus lever pivoted belowsaid body, and a link connecting said lever to the lower end of saidvalve and extending through the lower wall of said body in an ap roxi-.mately vertical direction, substantially as described. 7

- 9. In a sound reproducenthe combination with a hollow 'bo'd adapted tohave a column of fluid un erpressure pass therethrough, of a flexiblemember normally bent in the form of. an are, of slight curvaturesuspended at one endacross the path of said fluid within said body, and.means for imparting reciprocating movement in accordance with soundvibrations to the free end of said member lengthwise of the same'to setsaid fluid nto corresponding amplified vibration, su t-antially asdescribed.

10. In a sound reproducer, the combination with a flexible membernormally bent in the form of an arc of slight curvature anchored atoneend, of means for impartin reciprocating movement in accordance witsound vibrations to the free end of said member lengthwise of the same,substantially as described. I

This specification signed and witnessed this 10th day of December 1909.

' DANIEL .HIGHAM.

' Witnesses:

Dyan SMITH, Joan M. Canrmnn,

Copies of this patent may be'obtalned'for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

. 4 Washington, 1).0."

"a ogee ephlieation' of Daniel Higham, of New York N.

Cerrectibns in Lettere Patenf No. 1,034,014.

-Q certified that in Letters Petent N0. 1,034,1114,

in f Sound-Reproducers,errors appear in the printed specificationrequiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 61, for the word threthrolgh read fliere t/wough, end same page, line 64, for the letters fOoPatent sho ld' be read with these corrections therein that the same mayconfomi to the record of thecase in the Patent Oflice. i

Signed andfs'ealed this 17th day of eptember, A.ID., 1912.

' 0. 0. BILLINGS,

IS EAL] I I I flbmmisaz'orier of Patents;

grhhted JuIy 3 0 1912,-

Y.; for an improvelhent read Or; and that the said Letters

